Signature-feed mechanism for book-stitching machines.



J. R. REYNOLDS. SIGNATURE FEED MECHANISM FOR BOOK STITCHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1916.

Patented July 10, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

J. R. REYNOLDS. SIGNATURE FEED MECHANISM FOR BOOK STITCHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. I916.

Patented July 10, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

pa n mr' and no.

JOHN R. REYNOLDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMYTH MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- N ECTICUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1919.

Application filed June 14, 1916. Serial No. 103,689.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN R. REYNOLDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Signature-Feed Mechanism for Book-Stitching Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a mechanism which is designed to feed or present book or pamphlet signatures to a stitching or stapling mechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and convenient mechanism that will operate very rapidly and noiselessly and accurately present signatures or folded sheets of paper to stitching or other fastening mechanism.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated is especially designed to feed signatures to a book stitching machine of the type shown and described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 378,461 of February 28, 1888, and the general features of the feed mechanism are set forth in U. S. Letters Patent No. 930,229 of August 3, 1909.

This feed mechanism has four arms upon which the open book signatures are successively placed. These arms are given an intermittent rotary movement so as to suecessively present them in position to receive the signatures and to carry the signatures into line with the stitching mechanism, and are intermittently moved up and down, being rotated and receiving the signatures when down, and being moved up for presenting the folded edges of the signatures to the stitching mechanism.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a side elevation of the feed mechanism for presenting book signatures to a stitching mechanism. Fig. 2 shows a plan looking down from the plane indicated by the dotted line 2-2 on Fig. 1 with the frame omitted and a portion of the bed of the machine broken away so as to expose the driving connections. Fig. 3 shgws a side elevation of the yoke which is oscillated for intermittently imparting a step by step rotary movement to the signature carrying arms. Fig. l shows an edge elevation of the yoke. Fig. 5 shows a bottom view of the same with a portion cut in section. Fig. 6 shows a front View of the fixed fork for guiding the inner ends of the arms during their vertical movement. Fig. 7 shows a side view of the fork. Fig. 8 shows a front view of the fixed track for guiding the outer ends of the arms during their vertical movement. Fig. 9 shows a side elevation of the track. Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken through the parts which form the hub for the signature supporting arms, and showing a portion of the post upon which the hub slides when the arms move up and down.

The inner ends of the signature supporting arms 1 are fastened between disks 2 and 3, the former having a tubular stem 4 and the latter fitting on this stem and being secured in place by screws 5. This hub fits and slides up and down a post 6 which is held at its upper end by a bracket 7 that projects from the top of the frame 8. On the lower end of the hub is a collar 9 having a stem 10 upon which is jointed the upper end of a connecting rod 11. The lower end of the connecting rod is jointed to one end of a lever 12, the other end of which is pivoted to the lower end of a bracket 13 that depends from beneath the bed 14. This lever has a cam slot 15 in which travels a roll 16 on the end of a crank arm 17. This crank arm is clamped to a shaft 18 which is supported by a depending bracket 19 and which has a gear 20 that meshes with a gear 21 on an arbor 22 that is located beneath the bed. The gear 21 is engaged by a gear 23 on a shaft 24 which carries a gear 25 in mesh with a pinion 26 on the shaft 27 that is provided with a driving pulley 28. By means of these driving connections the signature carrying arms are given an intermittent up and down movement on the supporting post.

The lower end of the supporting post passes into a sleeve 29 which is free to turn in the table. On this sleeve below the table is a gear 30 that is engaged by a segmental rack 31 on one end of an angle lever 32 which is rocked by a cam loosely mounted on the arbor This cam is connected with a gear 3-l (also loose on the arbor) that is in mesh with a gear 35 which is secured to the shaft 18. Through these connections the sleeve 29 is given an intermittent oscillatory movement. Clamped to the sleeve 29 above the bed is an arm 36 which supports a yoke 37, that has a pair of upwardly extending bars 38. The mechanisms are so timed that when the signature carrying arms move to their lower position the rearward projecting arm passes down between the yoke bars 38 and the yoke is swung around so as to rotate the arms 90 degrees.

Fastened to the upper end of the guide post is a bracket 39 which carries a pair of downwardly projecting guide bars 4.0, the front one of which is longer than the back one. These rods form a fork that is adapted to receive and guide the inner end of the signature carrying arm that projects out sidewise during the upward movement of the arms.

Secured to the frame and projecting downwardly is a track 41. This track has a guiding groove 42 for a portion of its length and a curved projecting horn L3 in front and a longer guiding edge at at the back. This track plate is so secured to the frame that the outer end of the signature carrying arm that projects inwardly will travel in the groove and be guided thereby during the upward movement of the arms.

On the underside of the outer end of the arm 36 that carries the oscillatory yoke is a cylinder 15 in which is a plunger eLG that is pressed outwardly by a spring $7, the amount of outward movement being determined by the nuts t8 on the stem of the plunger. On the bed is fastened a stop l9 that is designed to be engaged by this spring plunger just before the fork carrying the signature arms completes its forward rotary movement and the arms are in position to be moved up.

The arms upon which the signatures are placed are intermittently turned 90 degrees by the movement of the yoke while they are in their lower position, and after they have been thus turned they are moved up so that the signature which was placed upon the arm that projected forward in the lower position and has been turned into line with the stitching mechanism, will be carried up into position to be operated upon by the stitching mechanism, As the arms movev down the arm that is at the back passes into the grasp of the yoke so that the movement forward of the yoke will turn the arms. l/Vhen the yoke has completed its forward movement and brought the back arm 90 degrees around to the side, the arms are lifted and as they rise the inner end of the arm on the outside passes up between the bars of the guiding fork, and the outer end of the arm on the inside passes up into the groove of the guiding track. As the arms pass up and are guided in this way by the fork and track the outer arm rises above the yoke which is then swung back 90 degrees in position to receive the then back arm when the arms are agaln brought down. After the outer arm gets below the end of the guide fork and the inner arm gets below the track the arms are again turned by the yoke. These rotary and vertical movements of the arms are very rapid and as the arms project outward some distance and carry signatures there is considerable momentum when they move, Furthermore, when the arm which carries the signature to be stitched goes up it must be held very firmly and must be guided very accurately so that it will be in exact position when it reaches the locality of the needles which pass into the signature for stitching it. When the yoke brings the arms around the inner end of the arm that is outside engages the front bar of the fork, and the outer end of the arm that is inside engages the lower end of the back of the track. Just before this occurs the spring plunger carried by the yoke arm engages the stop on the bed and offers a slight resistance or puts the parts under a little strain. The yielding plunger thus overcomes the momentum of the movement and obviates all tendency of the arms to strike the parts with a blow. This relieves the shock of the rapidly moving parts so as to eliminate all noise, and it reduces the wear of the guiding parts very materially so that the arms will be carried up accurately and located in exact position for the needles to stitch the signatures successfully.

The invention claimed is;

1. In a signature feeding mechanism the combination of signatures carrying arms, mechanism for intermittently raising and lowering the carrying arms, means for guiding the carrying arms during their upward and downward movement, mechanism for intermittently rotating the carrying arms, and yielding means for counterbalancing the momentum of the arms at the end of their rotative movements.

2. In a signature feeding mechanism the combination of signature carrying arms, mechanism for intermittently raising and lowering the carrying arms, means for guiding the carrying arms in their up and down movement, mechanism for intermittently rotating the carrying arms, and a spring plunger and stop cooperatively arranged to counterbalance the momentum of the carrymg arms as they complete their rotative movements.

3. In a signature feeding mechanism the combination of signature carrying arms, mechanism for intermittently raising and lowering the carrying arms, means for 5 guiding the carrying arms during their up and down movement, an oscillatory yoke adapted to intermittently rotate the carrying arms, mechanism for oscillating the yoke, a spring plunger carried by the yoke, and a stop arranged to be engaged by said 10 spring plunger as the yoke completes its arm turning movements.

JOHN R. REYNOLDS Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

